


How could this happen?

by mckvch (RaiseYourVoice)



Series: Meant to be [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Bane Chronicles - Sarah Rees Brennan & Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Assumed Character Death, Blood Drinking, Catholic Character, Clan Leader Raphael, Consensual Blood Drinking, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Hurt Raphael, Hurt/Comfort, Jewish Character, M/M, Mention of blood, Protection Magic, Vampire Raphael, Vampire Simon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 10:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8245262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaiseYourVoice/pseuds/mckvch
Summary: He noticed the familiarity of the smell clinging to the other's body - the coppery smell of blood, sure, but there was something about this blood that made his skin itch - and then he just knew. Simon barely heard the broken whisper of "I'm so sorry" and already felt the first droplets of bloody tears run down his pale cheeks, a constant stream of Nos falling from his trembling lips.Raphael was fine. He had to be fine. Simon needed him to be fine.He jerked away at the hesitant touch of Clary's hand on his shoulder, took a step back and shook his head because for the first time in his life - undead life, whatever - he didn't want her comfort, didn't want her close. All he wanted was Raphael who would wrap him up in his arms, who surprisingly gave the best hugs Simon had ever received, and who would laugh at him for being stupid enough to believe that he would--that he could be--





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's not necessary to read the other two parts of this series and I wasn't even sure if I should post it in the series or as a stand-alone but in my head it kind of belongs to the other stories so I chose to add it as last part of the series. I'm sorry for the angst but I'm unable to write such stuff without a happy end so no worries, all is going to be okay :)
> 
> Ignore the rest this note if you haven't read the books and don't like spoilers :)
> 
> I'm still and forever bitter about Raphael's death in the books and I finally had to write _something_ and even though it's got nothing to do with the awful books, this is kind of my way of fixing his death.

Everybody tended to believe that the really bad things would never happen to them. That some experiences would stay on the tv screen, in movies, or other at least in people's lives. Simon had been one of those people - even after his dad died he thought to himself that this had been the one exception, that there would be never anything remotely as bad again in his life. Of course he _knew_ it was a stupid thing to think, that it was better to be mentally prepared for a day when the worst thing that could happen wasn't just tripping over his own feet in the hallway of the school and have people laugh at him. Boy, did he wish to be back in that exact same situation when this had been something he thought of as bad.

Becoming a vampire had turned everything upside down, of course. It was a factor he could never have predicted. He tried not to think about the possibility of other people dying and he never even considered that it could be _himself_ who could die as well. Then he did and he returned as this undead creature of the night. Being turned into a vampire was the new worst thing to ever happen in his life but after some time it actually started to feel weirdly...okay. He thought himself to be a monster at first, would have preferred to be completely dead instead of _this_ but with Raphael's help came hope. Hope to adjust to this new self and to overcome the longing to feel the warm sunlight again instead of cold moonlight that did nothing to heat up his icy skin.

Raphael took him in, taught him to take control of his demon side and stay human - as human as you could be while drinking blood on a daily basis. Another thing Simon certainly didn't expect to come out of this, besides learning to almost like being a vampire, was finding love in all this seemingly endless darkness of the shadow world. And he definitely didn't expect to fall in love with the grumpy clan-leader or for the other to be attracted to him as well. Raphael was strong, gorgeous, surprisingly soft and so much more than his icy attitude lead on at first. It was good - amazing, really - and Simon honestly thought that his new undead life _wasn't bad at all_. He could do this, could conquer eternity as long as he had Raphael by his side but now...

The final battle of the war against Valentine had ended and the Shadowhunters had won, with the help of the werewolves, vampires and warlocks. Even the Seelie Queen siding with Valentine did not help this maniac win the war. It was over, they won and yet...Simon didn't feel like we won anything. He _lost everything_. Not only had the fight been merciless, cruel and traumatising beyond belief - he knew war was horrible but this had been so much worse than anybody could ever imagine - and the young vampire had never seen _so much blood_ at once. He was a vampire and he had learned to be fine with drinking blood but the sight of torn apart bodies, intestines and the red life force _everywhere_ had almost been too much for him to handle.

The worst part, though, was when Alec showed up with Magnus by his side (almost carrying him, to be more precise). At first everyone had been glad to hear that most of the blood hadn't been the warlock's and he was just this weak after using too much of his power in battle and they still were glad about it but even before Magnus turned around to face him, Simon noticed it. He noticed the familiarity of the smell clinging to the other's body - the coppery smell of blood, sure, but there was something about this blood that made his skin itch - and then he just _knew_. Simon barely heard the broken whisper of "I'm so sorry" and already felt the first droplets of bloody tears run down his pale cheeks, a constant stream of _No_ s falling from his trembling lips.

Raphael was fine. He had to be fine. Simon _needed him to be fine_.

He jerked away at the hesitant touch of Clary's hand on his shoulder, took a step back and shook his head because for the first time in his life - _undead life_ , whatever - he didn't want her comfort, didn't want her close. All he wanted was Raphael who would wrap him up in his arms, who surprisingly gave the best hugs Simon had ever received, and who would laugh at him for being stupid enough to believe that he would--that he could be--

Simon turned around and made use of his vampire speed to leave the battlefield behind, to leave his friends behind and to try and leave the heavy smell of Raphael's blood behind that seemed to have burned itself into his senses already. No matter how far and fast he went, the smell was still there, mocking him.

His instincts somehow managed to lead him back into the heart of the city, back to Brooklyn, even though Simon had paid no attention to where he was going at all. He just felt the urgent need to stay in motion because it was easier to push back any thoughts when his body was moving but he stopped abruptly in front of a house. His old home, his childhood home. The place where he couldn't be any longer because of what he'd become; because he couldn't risk his mum and sister finding out about him and he couldn't risk bringing part of the shadow world to them.

Simon's chest hurt as if he wasn't breathing enough or too much but neither was the case. He didn't need to breathe, even though he did it nevertheless out of habit and it would probably take quite a while to stop it. Rapha had said it took him up to a year to not take unnecessary breaths anymore. _Rapha._ Raphael. _His_ Raphael. Simon gasped at the pain rushing through his whole body and he set off again, leaving his childhood home behind once again.

Ironically, the next time he stopped Simon found himself in front of a synagogue. He had never been overly religious but every time he had been distressed about something he had turned to praying. Not because he thought it would be heard and some higher power would help him but because it calmed him down - kind of his way of meditating.

Of course, being a vampire prevented him from stepping into a synagogue and it also prevented him from praying properly because he couldn't even speak _His_ name. And the Star of David made his skin crawl just by looking at it, would injure his skin at the tiniest of touches. He needed to calm down but he couldn't visit his family and he couldn't turn to praying because the holy words scorched his throat and the symbols of his faith burned his skin. Simon wasn't able to pray for himself and he wasn't able to pray for Raphael either.

His next and last stop was, of course, the Hotel Dumort. His new home. The place Raphael had made his home but without the older vampire around...Simon didn't know what the future held. Immortality had seemed a lot less scary with the thought of Raphael by his side but now, without him, it was scarier than ever. Simon stumbled into the hotel and he knew nobody was around yet because the whole clan had been present on the battlefield and he was the first one to return.

Simon rushed up the stairs and when he entered the master suite, everything around him suddenly seemed to crumble. He was engulfed by Raphael's scent - by their mingled scents to be precise because Simon had spend more time here than in his own room the past few months - and memories of them together came rushing back. It was too much and Simon felt like his heart would leap out of his chest even though it was not beating anymore.

His whole body was trembling with the broken sobs and he fell to his knees after the door fell shut, bloody tears dripping to the floor. Simon's fingers curled into shaky fists, fingernails digging into his palms but it did nothing to let the pain inside subside. Every fibre of his being seemed to _ache_ with Raphael's loss.

"Please...you can't--you can't just leave me like that..." Simon sobbed and felt wetness in his palms where his nails cut into his skin but the small wounds would heal in the blink of an eye and he really couldn't care less about them anyway. Raphael was gone, dead, and Simon didn't know what he was supposed to do now. The older vampire had been his leader, mentor, the one to help him deal with his new self and he had not only become a very close friend but his _lover_. Even being killed by Camille hadn't been as painful as this. It was like dying all over again but much worse than last time.

It felt like his unbeating heart cracked more by the second, slowly falling apart with the biting pain of loss. Simon wished his heart was still beating because he was sure the pain would make it stop and sent an end to the quickly growing void in his chest. He didn't need to breathe but still gasped for air, lungs burning with the unnecessary need to be filled with air. Simon longed for Raphael to show up, being wrapped up in the other's arms and listen to his soothing, smooth voice - muttering words in Spanish that Simon didn't understand but they always managed to calm him down after a nightmare anyway.

His body was hurting all over, mind running a mile a minute, and he couldn't help but mutter Raphael's name like a prayer. Maybe his lover would come back to him if he just prayed hard enough? There had to be something. Anything. Raphael couldn't just be _gone_.

*

"Salvatore, get up!"

Simon groaned and slowly opened his eyes, blurry vision taking a few blinks until he was finally able to see his surroundings. He was still in the master suite, _Raphael's room_ , curled up on the floor and the carpet was stained with blood from his tears. It only took about five seconds for his brain to catch up and remember what happened - remember why he was curled up on the floor, body aching, eyes burning and everything feeling awfully wrong. _Raphael_...Simon's vision blurred again, bloody tears trickling down his cheeks at the explosion of pain in his chest and he didn't even notice the tip of a shoe nudging his side.

"Come on, Stacy, we have to go," Magnus' urgent voice pulled him back into reality and Simon couldn't even pay attention to the stupid names the warlock used to address him. Usually he would point out that this was a girl's name and for Magnus to stop pretending he didn't know his name but it felt physically impossible to utter a single word. It was all tears and pain. So much pain.

"Get up! I need your help. Raphael--"

Simon didn't hear the rest of the sentence because his hand flew up on instinct, palms pressing against his ears at the sound of his lover's name and he curled up more, a broken sob escaping his trembling, cracking lips. He still heard the muffled sounds of Magnus's voice but he couldn't identify what was being said and he prayed for the other to just leave him alone. He didn't even understand why the warlock was here instead of home, mourning the loss of a dear friend. Despite Magnus' and Raphael's constant banter and declarations of mutual dislike, Simon knew they had been pretty good friends and he had expected the warlock to be sad about Raphael's loss, not walk around and harassing obviously heartbroken people just a few hours later.

Simon wanted to scream at Magnus to go away, to leave and let him grieve in peace but he couldn't produce any other sounds than broken sobs. Suddenly, a weird tingly feeling spread through his body and suddenly the floor disappeared, causing Simon to open his eyes and through the haze of bloody tears he realised he was _floating_. More precisely, he was floating towards a portal. It felt like the magic was wrapped around him like a blanket, preventing him from moving and breaking free.

For some reason he expected Clary to be on the other side of the portal but to Simon's surprised he suddenly found himself in Magnus' loft, standing on shaky legs and his cheeks still wet with tears. The confusion and shock momentarily stopped the endless sadness and tears, distracting him from the immobilising pain.

"He's not dead. At least not yet," Magnus' voice cut through Simon's confusion and the young vampire whirled around with wide eyes. The pain was still present in every single nerve ending, mixed with confusion and now a tiny glimmer of hope started to bloom in his chest. Magnus didn't elaborate but strode through the open space of his loft towards the door of the guest bedroom. He pushed the door open and pointed towards the bed with a now worried expression.

"I went back after you left to fetch his cross. I knew he would be wearing it in battle and because it's his most important possession, I didn't want it to get lost. He would have wanted you to have it. But there was absolutely no trace of the necklace or his clothes. There wasn't even the tiniest hint of his ashes - I have absolutely no idea what happened but I could feel faint traces of magic and _knew_ there was a chance of him still being alive," the warlock explained even though Simon had trouble listening because he stumbled into the room and _there he was_. Raphael was lying on the bed, obviously unconscious and paler than ever, his torso wrapped up with bandages that were partly tinged with red.

"Oh my G--He's...he's alive?" Simon was unable to avert his gaze, unable to move and his voice was trembling almost as badly as his body.

"Barely, yes," Magnus replied softly, his hands coming to rest on Simon's shoulders to gently direct him towards the bed, pushing him closer to the motionless clan leader. Raphael looked dead, even for an undead vampire, and the fledgling was unable to feel happiness or relief because Magnus' words made it pretty clear that Raphael was on the verge of death.

"Why don't you heal him?? You're the ''High Warlock of Brooklyn'', _save_ him!!"

"It's not that simple. My magic has limits and I might be able to heal a great amount of damage done to a body, he's too close do death. Also, there's a risk of hurting him further and I cannot risk it. My magic is mostly good, white magic, despite the demon part of me, and I can heal the living just fine but it's different with vampires because they aren't living beings," Magnus tried to explain but all Simon could hear was the fact that the warlock couldn't help Raphael. He was so powerful but even his hands were tied and Simon's glimmer of hope died with the realisation that his lover might not be dead right now but he would be soon and he had to endure the loss all over again.

"That's why I brought you because you might be able to save him. He lost a lot of blood and he needs to feed - maybe his body will be able to heal on its own. Vampires might not be able to perform magic but they have their own kind of magic - you are part demon after all. Your speed, strength, heightened senses and ability to heal, that's _your_ magic. What I'm trying to say: vampire blood could be able to give him the strengths his body needs to kickstart his healing."

Simon stared at Magnus with wide eyes and he wasn't too sure he understood correctly but he honestly didn't care because there was still a chance to save Raphael and if his blood was needed, he would gladly give it. The clan leader was unconscious and for a few seconds Simon didn't know how this was supposed to work but then he closed the last bit of distance with rekindling determination. Simon sat down on the bed and shoved up the sleeve of his hoody.

The young vampire glanced at Magnus who simply nodded and murmured something about going to get some blood because both of them would need it before leaving the guest room. Simon took an unnessecary breath and looked back at Raphael who seemed completely lifeless. There was no rising and falling of his chest, no pulse that indicated he was still there but Simon pushed these thought away. Instead, he lifted his hand to use his fangs and slice into his pale, blue-veined wrist. As soon as the blood started bubbling to the surface, he held his arm above Raphael's head and the dark-red liquid trickled down, painting the clan leader's slightly parted lips.

Nothing happened at first and Simon didn't even know if something was supposed to happen or what he had expected. Maybe it was too late after all? His eyes widened when he noticed Raphael's fangs extending, instincts reacting to the taste of blood dripping into his mouth. Simon took a shaky breath and lowered his arms until his bleeding wrist was pressed against his lover's cool lips. A few seconds passed before Raphael's mouth opened and Simon felt the sharp sting of fangs sinking into his tender skin.

Simon was unable to hold back a relieved sob and he knew this didn't mean Raphael would live but he was just so glad the other was still with him, had enough energy left in him to feed. The older vampire was still unconscious, acting purely on instinct, and he was too weak to suck at the wound but his fangs kept the wound open an bleeding. Simon knew the situation could become dangerous for him - a starved vampire, especially in such a bad state as Raphael, didn't know when to stop and the fledgling was already weakened from battle and had lost more blood crying. But he couldn't find it in himself to care and Simon knew he would give his own life without batting an eye when it meant saving Raphael.

After a few minutes Simon could feel a faint suction so maybe his blood actually worked and provided his lover with strength or maybe it was just his imagination. He felt shaky and weak, the slow blood loss through the puncture wound in his wrist only made it worse but he would do everything in his might to help Raphael, no matter the cost.

Simon didn't know how much time passed and he felt pretty dizzy and almost numb when he felt a warm hand gently easing his arm away from Raphael's mouth. Of course, said hand belonged to Magnus and he could hear the other say something but he couldn't make sense of the words. Simon blinked slowly and tried to turn his head to look at the warlock but almost toppled off the bed because his coordination was almost non-existent right now.

"Carful, Sabrina. Here, lean against the headboard and drink this," Magnus instructed and after helping Simon turning around so his back was leant against the headbord, he held a glass out to the young vampire. He almost knocked it from Magnus' hand trying to grab the glass and the warlock sighted before simply pressing it against Simon's lips. His eyes fluttered close at the familiar smell and taste of blood, his fangs extended all on their own and clanked against the glass while he drank the content in one go. Magnus refilled the glass and Simon ended up hungrily drinking four glasses of blood until the world finally stopped tilting and blurring in front of his eyes.

"If he wakes up, he will need a lot of blood as well," Magnus mentioned, nodding towards Raphael, and he placed a bucket filled with ice and a few blood packs on the bed site table, sighing tiredly.

"If he doesn't wake up on his own in the next few hours, wake him up. He needs more blood to be able to pull through," the warlock mumbled around a yawn and Simon managed a tiny smile.

"I will take care of him, I swear. Go to sleep, I will watch over him and wake you if something is wrong," Simon promised and he was unbelievably greatful for everything Magnus had done. Raphael was here, still alive, and it was all thanks to Magnus. He still didn't know how Magnus managed to find the clan leader but that really didn't matter for the moment. It was more important to get Raphael back to strength, get him to feed and heal. Magnus nodded, smiling thankfully, before he turned around and left the guest room, probably heading to his own bedroom.

Simon's gaze went to the still unmoving Raphael, whose blood tinged lips were slightly opened but of course not for breathing. He really wished they would still need to breathe so he could see the reassuring rising and falling of Raphael's chest and know he was still here. Yes, his blood seemed to have worked and helped, Magnus had seemed a tiny bit more relaxed as well, but he knew it wasn't just over and his lover wasn't save yet. Simon still couldn't wrap his mind around Raphael still being here and all the pain from before was still lingering in his chest; a cold ball of anxiousness pulsing between is rips in place of a heartbeat.

He spent about half an hour just watching Raphael, longing to kiss and touch, but for some reason he didn't dare to - scared of realising it was just a dream, that the other would disappear as soon as his fingers made contact or that he could break the older vampire because Raphael had never looked this fragile. Simon took an unnecessary breath before he reminded himself of Magnus' words, that he should try to wake the clan leader to feed him and that it was important for it to happen soon, otherwise the tiny success would have been for nothing.

Simon leant over to grab one of the blood bags and after a short moment of hesitation, he touched Raphael's shoulder. He mumbled the other's name, gently nudging his shoulder, despite knowing that such a flimsy attempt probably wouldn't even get him anywhere if Raphael was just sleeping.

"Rapha, I need you to wake up. You have to feed. Please. Please, wake up." Simon heard his own voice tremble, waver with every word and breaking at the second  _please_. He was scared that Raphael wouldn't wake up, that he wouldn't be able to feed and having to watch the other die right in front of him. For some reason, the thought was much worse than the unexpected announcement of Raphael's death after the fight before.

He tried again, nudging the older vampire's shoulder with a little more force, pleading him to wake up and open his eyes. But nothing happened and Simon felt his eyes burning with upwelling tears, his fingers shaking with the rising panic in his chest that maybe his lover lost the fight already. He hadn't been a vampire long enough to just _know_ on instinct if there was life inside an undead body or not and he didn't want to freak Magnus out by calling him over again. Simon tried to calm down, squeezing his eyes shut and ignoring the wet trickle of bloody tears on his cheeks.

He didn't notice his fingertips pressing harder into Raphael's bare shoulder but he did notice the slightest of movements from the other body and his head snapped up immediately, eyes flying open. He almost missed the way Raphael's eyelids fluttered before opening oh-so-slowly. His lover's beautiful dark eyes were unfocused, glazed over with pain and the struggle against the unconsciousness that was certainly still pulling at his mind and body.

"R-Rapha! I'm here, you're safe," Simon said with a shaky voice and even more tears threatened to spill from his eyes at the almost painful wave of relief crashing through his body. Raphael tilted his head the slightest bit, to be able to blink up at the fledgling and his cracked, dry lips pulled into the faintest of smiles. Even for Simon's vampire hearing it was difficult to catch the mumbled "Baby" but he somehow did and it took all of his willpower to not just break down again because he though he would never again get to hear Raphael say this endearing pet name.

"You're badly hurt and need to feed," Simon explained in a raspy but still gentle voice and his lips pulled into a hopefully reassuring smile. Raphael replied with a soft hum, probably to show he understood, and Simon carefully helped his boyfriend sit up a little - he basically had to do all the work because Raphael noticeably didn't have the tiniest bit of strength left and it already took him so much effort to keep his eyes open.

Simon scooted closer and carefully helped the other sit up. Well, he basically pulled Raphael into a sitting position, so that his back was mostly leaning against Simon's chest whose arm was curled around the clan leader's hip to prevent his weak body from slipping to the side. He filled a glass that Magnus left on the bedside table as well with the blood and held it out for Raphael, gently pressing it against the other's lips to help him drink. Raphael was too exhausted to complain about the careful treatment, just opened his lips and slowly drank the red liquid when Simon carefully started tilting the glass.

The older vampire managed to drink almost two glasses before exhaustion started to force his eyelids down again and even though Simon knew it wasn't nearly enough blood, he realised this was the limit for now. He was glad the other had woken up and drank at all. He drank the last two gulps himself and placed the glass back on the nightstand to help Raphael lie back down.

Raphael was knocked out again even before he was back in a lying position and this time Simon didn't keep a distance like before. He stayed close to his lover, arm carefully draped over his hip, legs tangled together and forehead resting against the other's shoulder. He was scared that he could still lose Raphael and intended to stay awake but the exhaustion of the day won in the end, pulled him into a restless sleep.

*

Simon woke up to hushed voices and a sleepy groan escaped his lips before he slowly blinked his eyes open. Raphael was propped up against the headboard, a glass of blood in his hand, and he still looked exhausted and a little too pale but his dark eyes looked more alive and focused when they met Simon's. He had been too exhausted himself before, not really able to process everything, but seeing Raphael alive and softly chatting with Magnus he felt his eyes burn with unshed tears. The clan leader immediately sensed his distress and placed the glass back on the nightstand, asking the warlock for some privacy. Even before the door fell shut behind Magnus, Raphael lay down - carefully because he was still healing - and wrapped his arms around Simon.

"I--I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you," Simon mumbled around a broken sob and buried his face in the other's shoulder, clinging to Raphael like he was a lifeline. He was scared this might all be a dream, that he was still in the Hotel Dumort, passed out from exhaustion on the floor and that he could wake up every second with Raphael gone.

"I'm sorry I put you through this, _mi amor_." Raphael's voice was a little rough but still gentle as usual when talking to Simon. The first bloody tears trickled down his cheeks and the clan leader pulled him even closer, fingers buried in the mussed up hair at the back of Simon's head and slightly chapped lips pressing to his temple.

"I'm here, I'm okay. _Lo siento_ , I never meant to cause you pain and scare you like this," the older vampire whispered gently when Simon sobbed into his shoulder, unable to keep the emotions from crashing down on him. Raphael mumbled sweet nothings in Spanish and English while he kept on holding his boyfriend, stroking his hair and peppering the other's face with loving kisses. It was heartbreaking to see Simon like this and to know he cause all this pain but he had never been more glad to be alive. Back when he had just been turned, Raphael had wanted to end his newly undead life and he had honestly thought about it every once in a while after but right know he couldn't be more relieved to be alive. The thought of leaving Simon, of hurting him so much, was unbearable and Raphael swore to himself to be more careful in the future.

After more than half an hour of crying Simon finally found his voice again to finally ask how Raphael was still alive. Magnus had been so sure about the clan leader's death and he had said there were traces of magic where Raphael's ashes were supposed to be.

"I think it was Ragnor's doing."

"Ragnor? The warlock you and Magnus were friends with?" Simon remembered the day when Magnus showed up in the hotel with the message of Ragnor's death and that he had been a pretty close friend to both of them. He knew Raphael had occasionally sent letters to the warlock and that the last one had been mostly about the clan's newest member - Simon, of course.

"Yes. I knew him since a few days after being turned. He must have gotten his hands on my cross," Raphael touched the golden cross resting against his collarbone, next to the cross-shaped scar, but not burning his skin anymore, "and put some kind of protection spell on it. Magnus said it's the only explanation and that there are faint traces of magic left on the cross."

Simon didn't really know much about magic but even he understood that it must have been a _really_ strong spell when it had managed to basically fake Raphael's death and kind of teleport him to safety or however he had ended up far away from the battlefield where Magnus found him. It didn't really matter much to Simon what kind of spell it was, how it worked or what it did - it had saved Raphael. He never got a chance to get to know Ragnor but he felt a strong wave of gratitude towards the warlock and thanked him mentally for being one of the best friends one could wish for and for protecting Raphael even now.

"Whatever it was, he saved your life," Simon murmured with the tiniest of smiles, eyes red-rimmed from crying. The clan leader hummed his agreement and cupped the younger vampire's cheep with one hand, thumb brushing away the last traces of bloody tears from his pale skin.

"I love you, _cariño_ ," Raphael whispered and leant in for the sweetest kiss they ever shared. Simon melted into the tender contact, eyelids fluttering close and every bit of tension seemed to vanish. It would certainly take a while for Raphael to be back on his feet and for all of them to get over the horrors of war, especially the shock of almost losing the clan leader, but Simon knew he would be alright with his lover by his side.


End file.
